Thecircumstancewhichmostcontributedtosecuretheindependenceofprivatepersonsinaristocraticages，was，thatthesupremepowerdidnotaffecttotakeuponitselfalonethegovernmentandadministrationofthecommunity;thosefunctionswerenecessarilypartiallylefttothemembersofthearistocracy:sothatasthesupremepowerwasalwaysdivided，itneverweighedwithitswholeweightandinthesamemanneroneachindividual。Notonlydidthegovernmentnotperformeverythingbyitsimmediateagency;butasmostoftheagentswhodischargeditsdutiesderivedtheirpowernotfromtheState，butfromthecircumstanceoftheirbirth，theywerenotperpetuallyunderitscontrol。Thegovernmentcouldnotmakeorunmaketheminaninstant，atpleasure，norbendtheminstrictuniformitytoitsslightestcaprice—thiswasanadditionalguaranteeofprivateindependence。Ireadilyadmitthatrecoursecannotbehadtothesamemeansatthepresenttime:butIdiscovercertaindemocraticexpedientswhichmaybesubstitutedforthem。Insteadofvestinginthegovernmentalonealltheadministrativepowersofwhichcorporationsandnobleshavebeendeprived，aportionofthemmaybeentrustedtosecondarypublicbodies，temporarilycomposedofprivatecitizens:thusthelibertyofprivatepersonswillbemoresecure，andtheirequalitywillnotbediminished。
TheAmericans，whocarelessforwordsthantheFrench，stilldesignatebythenameof\"county\"thelargestoftheiradministrativedistricts:butthedutiesofthecountorlord—
lieutenantareinpartperformedbyaprovincialassembly。Ataperiodofequalitylikeourownitwouldbeunjustandunreasonabletoinstitutehereditaryofficers;butthereisnothingtopreventusfromsubstitutingelectivepublicofficerstoacertainextent。Electionisademocraticexpedientwhichinsurestheindependenceofthepublicofficerinrelationtothegovernment，asmuchandevenmorethanhereditaryrankcaninsureitamongstaristocraticnations。Aristocraticcountriesaboundinwealthyandinfluentialpersonswhoarecompetenttoprovideforthemselves，andwhocannotbeeasilyorsecretlyoppressed:
suchpersonsrestrainagovernmentwithingeneralhabitsofmoderationandreserve。Iamverywellawarethatdemocraticcountriescontainnosuchpersonsnaturally;butsomethinganalogoustothemmaybecreatedbyartificialmeans。Ifirmlybelievethatanaristocracycannotagainbefoundedintheworld;
butIthinkthatprivatecitizens，bycombiningtogether，mayconstitutebodiesofgreatwealth，influence，andstrength，correspondingtothepersonsofanaristocracy。Bythismeansmanyofthegreatestpoliticaladvantagesofaristocracywouldbeobtainedwithoutitsinjusticeoritsdangers。Anassociationforpolitical，commercial，ormanufacturingpurposes，orevenforthoseofscienceandliterature，isapowerfulandenlightenedmemberofthecommunity，whichcannotbedisposedofatpleasure，oroppressedwithoutremonstrance;andwhich，bydefendingitsownrightsagainsttheencroachmentsofthegovernment，savesthecommonlibertiesofthecountry。